Gripper mechanism for printing machines



March 1, 1932. R. c. SEYMOUR GRIPPER MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed June 28, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet March 1 R c. SEYMOUR GRIPPER MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed June 28, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 all-ll March 1, 1932. R. c. SEYMOUR GRIPPER MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed June 28, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 1, 1932 UNITED [STATES AT ENT OFFICE RALPH o. SEYMOUR, DECEASED, LATE or SHORT HILLS, NEW JERSEY, BY MARY r.

SEYMOUR EXECUTRIX, 0F SHORT HILLS, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 R. ING, OF NEW YORK, N". ,Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK HOE & 00.,

JVGRIPPER MECHANISM FOR rnmrino MACHINES Application'filed June as,

1 This invention relates to improvements in gripper mechanism for handling sheets. be ing fed to a printing machine. In the drawings, the improved mechanism is shown only as applied to the impression cylinder of a rotary printingmachine, but it will be un derstood that other anism can be made.

A tumbler which engages a stationary pin or other member fixed to the frame of the machine, has heretofore been used to open and to close a gripper mechanism carried on an impression cylinder. A spring is usually connected to the gripper-shaft and arranged to bias the grippers to either the open, or to the closed position, and the tumbler acts to make the spring effective to al ternately open and close them.

' In the mechanisms heretofore used, when thetumbler is turned to close the grippers the spring throws'the gripper fingers down. with such force that they frequently rebound and allow the sheet to slip, and the printing is thus ter. The mechanism herein disclosed overcomes this difficulty by: providing a stop which arrests the motion of the grippers just before they engage the sheet, and means for then disengaging the stop and allowing the grippers to close on the sheet without rebounding.

The especial object of the inventionis to provide a gripper operating mechanism that will act to close the grippers on a sheet quickly and without rebounding.

It is also an object of the invention to provide agripper mechanism of generally improved construction, whereby the device will be simple, durable and inexpensive in construction, as well as convenient, practical, serviceable and efficient in its use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that various changes intheprecise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within applications of the mech the grippers from thrown'out of proper regis-.

' secured to the side 1929. Serial No. 374,467.

the scope of what is claimed without depart ing from the spirit of the invention.

Figure -1 of the drawings is a'diagrammatic view of a'portion of an impression cylinder of a printing machine showing the improved gripper operating mechanism and the preferred form of cooperating stop mechanism, one of the grippers being shown in the open position;

igure 2 is a viewsimilar to Figure 1, except'that the parts are shown in thegposi tion in which the stop is acting to prevent closing;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the stop disengaged and the grippers closed on the sheet, the relative p0sitionof the parts being shown as viewed on the line A-A of Figure 4, andin the direc: tion of arrow 3; s c

Figure 4 is a longitudinal view of aportion of the impression cylinder and stop mechanism as seen in the direction of ar-' row 4 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view showing a the grippers in the same position as in.Fig ure 2, but with a stop mechanism of. modified form, the relative position of the parts be-. ing showncas'viewed on the line B-B of Figure 6; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 4,: but showing the modified stop mechanism depicted in Figure 5, as viewed in the direction of the arrow 6 of Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Figures 3 and 4, 11 indicates the side frame of a printing machinehaving a bearing housing 12 secured thereto, which contains a bearing in which the shaft 13 of an impression cylinder 14, is fitted to, rotate.

A bearing block 15 is secured: to the cylinder and provides a bearing for the gripper shaft 16, to which a plurality of grippers are secured, one being shown at 17. A tumbler headlS is also secured to the gripper shaft 16, and is provided with a channel 19, the sides of which are engaged by tumbler pins frames 11. One of these pins is shown at 21, located in position to I engage the tumbler head as the cylinder is rotated and thus turn the shaft 16 to close the grippers. A similar pin not shown, is fore they close on the sheet, and then releassuitably located and serves to engage one ing them, that they move through the reside of the channel at its opposite end in a maining distance slower, and do not rebound well known manner to open the grippers from the abutment. The grippers are thus 5 when the sheetis. to be passed on to; the decaused toengage the sheetand holditsecurelivery. 5 7 i o ly in the proper positionto, insure correct An arm shown in outline at 22, is secured, register of the printing. to the gripper shaft at a point inside the cyl- In the modified form of the invention inder andispivotally'connected at '23, wi th-- shown in Figures samestationary, al- 19 the heador a'rod 24'; The lower-end ofthis thongh adjustable stop Hissubstituted'for rod is not shown, but it willbe understood the travelingstop 33. The stop 41, is secured that it is provided with a, spring and'guided. t0 suitable luge2 formed on the frame 11, asshown in North Patent 640,799 or in any beingsecuredthereto b'ybolts 43 which pass suitable manner, means being-thusprovidedthroughaslotin thestop ll and are screwed 15 for executing a thrust on the rod to hold the into the lugs l2. Adjusting screws 44 progrippers ope'n asin- Figure-1,: orto close videmeanstorsetting-thestop t]; so that the them as sown-in Figure 8a. Y grippers will be'allo'wedl to close onthe sheet In't'hepreferred construction, a gears25'pis at the, proper pointin the revolution of the secured tothe bearing housing 12, meshes cylinders.,-

The traveling stop shown in Fig with. an idle-r .26, rotatably supported on a uresrl to liinclusive-is preferable to the form stud 27, secured to the cylinderlet. The o-I stop; shown in Figuresaand 6,as'witl1, the idler meshes. with the gear 28=whiehrotates first mentioned form, the stop face 32rnay onithest-ud 29 also'se'cured tothecylinder i l"; have a much greater area than the Figure In the embodiment of the inventionshown, 5 form, andin consequencathe, greater-wearthe tumbler head l ii siormedw-ith.a-stopiening sui'tace thus provided, renders; the'part I gagingrfiaceBl, that engages with the face 32" more; durable. By doubling the rotative oil a travelingstop 33,,eadjustably secured to speed of; the] traveling: stop as-v previo slythe gear 28 by means of the belt at, which mentioned,;the .areaof; thestop-iace audits passes through anelongatedhole in the; stop durability may be fiurther increased, 3Q andis screwed into: the gear.. 7 What-,i'sclaimedis: 7

The tumbler head '18 also carriesa pin 1.v Ina sheetgripper-mechanism for-an im- 35, which cosactswitha a shoulder dfig'forined' pressijon cylinder-,a plurality'of gripperssup-z on the bearing-block 15, to limit thethroat ported in the cylinder, incansformovingthe, of the grippers when they are turned; to the. grippers to engage a; sheet, and; a rotating open position as shown in 'F igure 1'. f I stop-on the cylinder adapted t Bribe/St tihQmQ- 309 shown in the drawingsthe gears 25 and" tion of the grippers momentarily before, they: 28' are made with equal diameters-land have engage the'sheet. 'v v 1 3 the same number of teeth, their-ratio may be 2, I h t; ri p hanism, a plw. varied-"howeven as by making-the gear 25 lityi. grippers; suitably supported, an with twice the numberotteeth-in'the gear 281 butment for, the grippers, 'meansior moving In Figure 1, the cylinder is show-n at the. the'grippers toward the abutment to engage, point inits rotation where the'tnmbler head w ass stopzsupport dt rotat about engages the pin: 21. Further rotation of the: an axis moving with the gripper-support and cylinder in the direction of the arrow turns, adapted toarrest the, motion of the grippers 45: the :pivpt 23 past the dead center oftheirod momentarilybefore they engage the sheet. I 24, which then tendss'to rotatethe-gripper 3. In a printing machine, a plurality of shaft l6fito cause the gmpper lT to closer grippers supported by an impression cylin- However, the rotation of the traveling stop.- der,,means= forclosing the rip to engage, isso timed 't-hatcthe stop face 3'2, is. then a h t,- d a t llin t t ti i np'osition to be engaged by the. stop engag the cylinder adapted to'arrest the motion of; 11 mg 3063]; oi-the tumbler-hea-dlS; and, 218 the grippers momentarily they gnshownin Figure 2, the blowdue to the thrust age the heet, i 7 Q ofthe ro 12d is received onthe/stopface 32' In anprinting machine, a plurality oi w This action prevents vthe gripper 17 from rippers sunpor dby imp ion limb closing on the sheet that is shown held ,in denineans for moving the grippers to engage 12 Posllilon 9 f l a v r i a sheetfa-nd a rotating stop adapted to ar- Further rotation of the cy'linderl l causes rest the motion of the grippersmomentarily the stop. 33 to be moved to the position shown beiorethey engage the sheet in Figure 3, Where itsface.32'1s1disengaged 5. In a printing machine, a plurality of from the face 81, and the gripperl shaft is rippers adapted to hold a sheet on an 1 thus free to turn',-aliowi-ng the grippers "to. pression cylinder, means for closing thegripengagethe sheet: and press it against theabut'e pe t ngag 'a h t, and a rtatingsmp ment' 3; i adapted-to arrest the motionof the grippers It will be understood that'by checking the momentarilybefore they engage the sheet. motion of the grippers for an instant justbe 6. Ina sheet gripper mechanism, a gripper shaft, grippers secured to the shaft, means for turning the shaft to cause the grippers to grip the sheet, and a rotating stop arranged to engage with a member connected with the gripper shaft, whereby the grippers are prevented from engaging withthe sheet until the said member is disengaged from the stop.

7. In a sheet gripper mechanism, a gripper shaft, grippers secured to the shaft, means for turning the shaft to cause the grippers to grip the sheet, and a travelling stop arranged to engage with a member connected with the gripper shaft whereby the grippers are prevented from engaging with the sheet until the said member is disengaged from the stop.

8. In a printing machine, a plurality of grippers suitably supported by an impression cylinder, an abutment for the grippers, means for moving the grippers toward the abutment to engage a sheet, and a stop rotatably supported on the cylinder, adapted to arrest the motion of the grippers momentarily before they engagethe sheet; said stop being arranged to move relatively to the grippers while their motion is arrested.

9. In a printing machine,

a plurality of grippers rotatably supported by an impression cylinder, an abutment for the grippers,

means tending to move the grippers toward the abutment to engage a sheet, a stop supported to rotate with the cylinder and adapted to arrest the motion ofthe grippers momentarily before they engage the sheet; said stop being arranged to move relatively to the grippers while their motion is arrested.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name. 1

MARY F. SEYMOUR Ewwwtm'w of the Estate of Ralph '0. Sy-

mow, Deceased. 

